Starring: Fashionable Paris PI and single mom Aimée Leduc, whose American mother has worked with both the CIA and 1970s radicals.

What happens: It's 1999, and Aimée's mother (who was supposed to be with Aimée's daughter at a playgroup) disappears. A murder near the play area has Aimée desperately seeking her mom while dealing with neighborhood secrets, spycraft, and Cote d’Ivore politics.

Who it's for: This 19th Aimée Leduc novel (which works for readers who know Aimée and those who don't) will please those who enjoy character-driven mystery novels with international settings.

What it's about: A corrections officer is killed in a Maine state prison, and a prisoner, the best friend of game warden Mike Bowditch, is injured trying to help -- but it's all related to bigger crimes outside the pen.

Series alert: Newcomers can start with this 10th Mike Bowditch novel, but to follow him from his rookie year, pick up The Poacher's Son.

What it's about: Detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver, who are both still healing from their last traumatic case, work to stop a serial killer who fancies himself an artist and has a large social media following.

Is it for you? If you like gritty British police procedurals like Mo Hayder's, you'll enjoy this chilling, suspenseful sequel to Splinter in the Blood.

About the author: Ashley Dyer is the pseudonym of novelist Margaret Murphy and forensic expert Helen Pepper (who has consulted for British TV's Vera, Shetland, and Bancroft).

Starring:Chief Detective Inspector Charles Field, who was a real person and the inspiration for Charles Dickens' Bleak House's Inspector Bucket.

What happens: In 1860 London, the connection between an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria and the murder of a petty thief leads Field to body snatchers, a conspiracy related to Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and a diabolical criminal.

Donna Andrews writes the humorous Meg Langslow mysteries, which star blacksmith Meg and her eccentric, animal-loving friends and family, including a husband and children as the series progresses. Set in Yorktown, Virginia, these cozy mysteries feature laugh-out-loud moments and well-developed characters, and can be read in any order (but newcomers who want to start at the beginning should pick up Murder, with Peacocks). Looking for the latest in the series? The 25th entry, Terns of Endearment, just came out. On the hold list? Check out these books.

What it's about: American-in-England Lori Shepherd is struggling with new motherhood when the vicar asks her to find a missing historical pamphlet that details antiquities shenanigans. Lori gets help from ghostly Aunt Dimity, who communicates via otherworldly writing, and the elderly Pym sisters, who send a nanny.

Series alert: This 4th Aunt Dimity novel is just as charming as the other entries in the delightfully cozy and slightly supernatural series; the 24th book, Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold, came out this summer.

Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: the charming village, the highlighting of life with young twins, and the quirky characters.

What happens: The well-to-do 23-year-old author of a tell-all book about her hometown is found dead in a cotton field. The main suspect's upper-crust brother hires southern belle and intrepid PI Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie to find the real killer -- and they quickly unearth some "accidental" deaths that might be related.

Series alert: This is the 6th in a humorous cozy series which now has 20 books (the latest, Game of Bones, was recently published).

What happens: Part-time reporter and mom of four Lucy Stone helps plan a party for Tinker's Cover, Maine's oldest resident, Miss Tilley. But when a local attorney suspiciously dies and Miss Tilley's long-lost niece unexpectedly appears and moves in, Lucy has more things to worry about than parties, gray hairs, and her teen's coed sleepover.

Series alert: This is the lighthearted 9th Lucy Stone book; the 26th, Invitation Only Murder, hits shelves in November.

Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: the details of family life, Lucy's civic engagement, and the entertaining townspeople.

Featuring: Caterer Faith Fairchild, her minister husband, and their kids, who live with a friend while renovating their Maine vacation cottage.

What happens: A murder occurs at the next-door neighbor's coastal estate, where relatives have gathered to hear the elderly owner's decision of who will inherit the coveted home.

Why Donna Andrews fans might like it: The pleasing mix of crime, beloved characters, and domestic life found in this 22nd Faith Fairchild mystery (which is fine for newcomers) and all the Faith books (the 25th and most recent novel is The Body in the Wake).